1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof housing for storing a camera with a lens barrel.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to enable underwater photography with a camera, a waterproof housing for storing the camera in a watertight manner is commercialized in the related art.
The waterproof housing includes, for example, two case members supported by a hinge so as to be capable of opening and closing, and is adapted to position and store the camera in the case members in a state in which the hinge is opened, and to be brought into a watertight manner by closing the two case members after the storage. The waterproof housing includes various operating members for enabling various operations relating to the camera in a state of being stored therein.
When the camera is of a single-lens reflex type, for example, operation relating to lens barrel is generally possible. More specifically, there is a lens barrel having operation rings such as a focus ring for adjusting a focal position of a photographic lens stored in the lens barrel, a zoom ring for adjusting a focal distance. The waterproof housings configured to enable operation of such operation rings on the lens barrel are proposed in the related art.
For example, Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3094807 discloses a focus adjustment device which enables adjustment of the lens focus from the outside. The focus adjustment device enables rotation of the lens barrel for focus adjustment from the outside of a waterproof case. More specifically, a barrel-side magnet is secured on an outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel, and a rotatable case-side magnet is arranged on an outer peripheral portion of the waterproof case at a position corresponding to the barrel-side magnet. When a user rotates the case-side magnet for adjusting the focus, the barrel-side magnet is rotated together by the effect of attraction thereof, whereby the focus adjustment of the lens barrel is achieved.
According to the focus adjustment device disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3094807, the focus adjustment can be achieved by operating the lens barrel without opening the waterproof case.
A technique for adjusting the focus of the lens barrel from the outside of the waterproof camera case with a force of magnet is disclosed in JP-A-10-123602.